Around Kathmandu: Urte Berri On!

I tried to avoid Kathmandu as long as I could. I had been told repeatedly that the capital was probably the worst spot in the whole country. Dirty streets, crowds, drivers sounding the horns, touts trying to sell stuff... it evoked all my bad memories of India. While this is partially true I must admit now -after five days in the capital- that Kathmandu has been a quite positive experience for me. Neither the city nor the bazarris are as contaminated as they are in the filthiest streets of India. Furthermore I was lucky to arrive there two days before the New Year 2066 (according to the hindu calendar).

So what did I do? well, first is first. I ensured that the family business was going well. After that I wandered around the city following the suggested pilgrimage from temple to temple. As you may have notice (by now) religion is not my favourite topic so I decided to skip the rest of the religious landmarks for the day and focus on something more interesting like watching a football match at the National Stadium: Pokhara FC vs National Police Department. Of course I supported my favourite town's club but I had to keep it low, the stadium was full of dogs.

Next day I visited Patan, a neighbouring town featuring the highest density of Newari architecture in the country. Sex and violence illustrate the wood carvings that adorn the hindu temples of P-town; hell yeah, now we're talking! When I returned to Kathmandu I came across one of the most bizarre sights of my life. A group of 20 Basque folk dancers dressed in the traditional clothes of my homeland marching through the old streets of Thamel. Apparently they were the exotic line-up of a New Year's Eve festival. It was cool to be surronded by country fellows celebrating the new year 2066 in Nepal.

On the New Year's Day I joined the locals and visited Bhaktapur. This stunning village witnesses a very peculiar tradition during the first day of the year. In summarised words, some locals huddle together around a big chariot set and placed by the riverside for the occasion. Other fellows pull and lean a huge phallic-shaped post forth and backwards over the chariot decorated with drawings of a Goddess. This -assuming lots of imagination- resembles some sort of timber coitus (I guess). Whatever the case I quite enjoyed seeing those locals playing puppets with the trunk and the chariot and more importantly I got to meet some really good people in Bhaktapur.

PS: Urte berri on means Happy new year in Basque.

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Todo el mundo me habia hablado muy mal de Kathmandu. Tanto viajeros como gente local me habia dicho que la capital de Nepal era un caos y estaba muy contaminada. Tras haber pasado 5 dias alli, he de reconocer que no es tan mala como la pintan. Tal vez sea porque tuve la suerte de llegar alli dos dias antes del ano nuevo hindu, pero el caso es que me lo pase bastante bien. Mi visita comenzo echando un vistado al negocio familiar. Visto que todo estaba en orden, emprendi una peregrinacion por los templos de la ciudad. A estas alturas ya estaba bastante aburrido de templos asi que me fui al estadio nacional a ver una partido de futbol. Por lo visto aqui entrenan con piedras, vaya paquetes. Al dia siguiente visite Patan. A la vuelta me tope con un grupo de 20 dantzaris perfectamente uniformados con su txistu y tamboril que estaban invitados en un festival de folclore para celebrar el ano nuevo. Fue curioso celebrar la entrada del 2066 con ellos. El dia de ano nuevo fui de visita a Bhaktapur, un pueblo muy bonito donde conoci a una gente estupenda de la que os hablare pronto.